Chapter 10: Reply Letter

As soon as Jia Cong returned to the East Road Courtyard, he met the servant guarding the granary and warehouse, who asked him to go to the Rongguo Prefecture to meet a guest.

Entering the Songxuan Hall for receiving guests next to the Rongqing Hall, he saw a middle-aged man sitting in the main seat, with a white face and black beard, humble and gentle, wearing a brown-yellow Shu brocade regular robe.

The servant called him Second Master. Jia Cong knew this was Jia Baoyu's father, the second son of the Old Mistress of the Jia Prefecture, Jia Zheng.

In his previous life, when Jia Cong read "Dream of the Red Chamber," he had a good impression of Jia Zheng. Although this person was a bit pedantic, his three views were normal, and he was not a playboy without shame like Jia She.

As a father, he recognized that Jia Baoyu had extraordinary aptitude and was a talent to be cultivated, but he felt ashamed that he spent his days in the group of rouge daughters and wasted his studies.

He wanted to strictly discipline his son, but was always blocked by his mother and wife in various ways. Before the great ceremony of filial piety, he was bound hand and foot, and was a helpless father.

He liked scholars the most, respected the virtuous and lowered himself, helped the weak and supported the dangerous, and gave full support to Jia Yucun, who was a successful candidate and dismissed from office, letting him become a high official again, but he didn't know he was raising a white-eyed wolf.

He had the heart to help others, but no ability to recognize people. He was a mediocre and rigid good person.

Later generations called him a defender of feudal etiquette. Jia Cong always sneered at such distorted theories of cutting the boat to find the sword.

Every era had its own standards. Evaluating people of the past with the concepts of later generations was itself a ridiculous conceptual kidnapping.

Today, Zhou Changyan said that Prince Prince Jia Shun greatly appreciated Jia Cong's calligraphy, calling him a rare calligraphy genius, and even predicted that in a few years, the Jia family would definitely produce a master of calligraphy.

The middle-aged scholar in a green shirt sitting below Jia Zheng turned his head immediately when he saw Jia Cong enter, sizing him up with great interest.

When he was young, Jia Zheng also aspired to pass the imperial examination and become an official, to bring glory to his ancestors, but his aptitude was limited, and it was difficult to achieve anything in reading.

But his enthusiasm for reading, his love for scholars, and his yearning for fame and status were engraved in his bones.

And the Old Mistress of the Jia family's heartfelt dislike for this grandson made Jia Cong almost completely ignored in the Jia family.

Later, a last memorial from his father Jia Daishan exempted him from the embarrassment of not passing the imperial examination, and the Emperor rewarded him with a Grade 5B Secretary position in the Ministry of Works.

In a wealthy family like the Jia family, Jia Cong's appearance was a bit shabby and eye-catching, but Jia Zheng saw his warm and crystal-clear eyes, his calm and composed behavior, and a spirit that didn't match his age, which made Jia Zheng frown a bit.

And Prince Jiaoshun also wrote a letter himself, inviting Jia Cong to participate in the Nanxi Literary Gathering on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and serve as a recorder for the literary gathering.

There was actually such a strange thing in the world, and it happened in the Jia family, and it happened to this silent nephew of his.

Compared with those royal descendants who flew eagles and ran horses, Prince Prince Jia Shun was simply a model and clear stream of the royal family.

Seeing this nephew wearing old robes that were too small, with patches on the cuffs, a thin figure, and sunken cheeks, he seemed to be malnourished, which made Jia Zheng frown.

In this big family, Jia Cong's lowly background, and the exclusion and abuse of Jia Cong by the Jia She couple.

But today he received Zhou Changyan and knew the reason for his visit, which completely stunned Jia Zheng.

He was in the officialdom, so he naturally knew this wise king of the clan who was famous for his literature and had a good reputation in the court.

He secretly complained about his eldest brother, why didn't he look after his son properly? Those who didn't know would think the Jia family was harsh to their descendants.

His face also lacked warm blood color, and it seemed that he was malnourished daily, which made Jia Zheng frown a bit.

So Jia Zheng's impression of this nephew was very faint, because he hadn't seen Jia Cong a few times since he was a child.

Seeing Zhou Changyan sizing Jia Cong up with burning eyes, and even a trace of pity in his eyes, he felt a bit ashamed in his heart.

Thinking of Zhou Changyan's purpose, and connecting the two places, this half-grown child had already moved him a bit.

Sometimes it seemed like he didn't exist at all, and when the Jia family talked about their children with outsiders, they would subconsciously skip him.

What made Jia Zheng feel close was that this Prince Prince Jia Shun also loved reading, was good at calligraphy and painting, and was well-versed in compilation and learning, gathering many talents and famous scholars to do things like compiling ancient books and name lists.

This was simply the perfect image of a scholar in Jia Zheng's mind, doing things he wanted to do but didn't have the ability to do.

And the Nanxi Literary Gathering held by Prince Jiaoshun every other year was called the first-class literary gathering in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Those invited were all famous scholars and famous scholars who were famous in the scholar forest.

If one could write a good poem or lyric at the Nanxi Literary Gathering, one could become famous all over the world in a few days. This was the fast pleasure of literary talent and style.

Even if Jia Zheng participated in the Nanxi Literary Gathering once, it would be enough for him to be proud of for a lifetime, but his literary talent and reputation were mediocre, and he would definitely not be invited by this first literary gathering in the world.

He wanted to make friends with people like Prince Prince Jia Shun, but his official position was mediocre, his personality was not good at drilling, and his talent was almost non-existent, so it was difficult to enter the vision of people like Prince Prince Jia Shun.

And the Jia family had always been cautious about making friends with the clan, which made Jia Zheng miss the opportunity to know this first clear and noble scholar in the world, which always made him feel a bit regretful.

For a person like Prince Prince Jia Shun who was famous for his literature, Jia Zheng naturally believed in his vision. Since he praised Jia Cong's calligraphy so much, it must be correct.

The clear and noble scholar he had imagined meeting day and night actually came to the door himself to invite Jia Cong. How did this silent nephew of his do such a thing that made people shocked and inexplicable?

Jia Cong looked at Prince Prince Jia Shun's letter, and his heart was also filled with confusion. He didn't know Prince Prince Jia Shun at all, so why did the other party suddenly come to the door to invite him?

Zhou Changyan saw his expression and knew his confusion, so he told the story of buying Zhao Mama's couplet that day. Jia Cong suddenly realized that the ten taels of silver were meant for this.

Jia Zheng on the side was both surprised and happy. This was a legend that only appeared in plays. A scholar from a poor family with amazing talent finally couldn't hide his talent and was appreciated by a noble, thus turning things around.

Such a thing actually happened in his Jia family. How lucky the Jia family was to have this literary and romantic spirit. He was flushed with excitement and wished he could replace him.

It's just that Jia Cong came from a wealthy and noble family, so he couldn't be counted as a scholar from a poor family, but looking at Jia Cong's appearance, wasn't he just a scholar from a poor family?

Although Jia Cong didn't know Prince Prince Jia Shun, being appreciated by others was always a good thing. Since the other party sent a letter in person as a prince, he naturally had to reply with a letter to complete the etiquette.

Hearing that Jia Cong was writing a reply, Jia Zheng immediately asked the maid to take the best paper and brushes from his study and let Jia Cong reply in the hall.

That Prince Prince Jia Shun had such vision, and he actually praised Jia Cong's calligraphy so much. Jia Zheng couldn't wait to see it.

Zhou Changyan saw Jia Cong pick up the brush. The youth who was just looking downcast a moment ago suddenly had an unusual aura.

Like a mountain standing, like a pillar in the middle of the stream, Zhou Changyan was a learned man and knew that this was close to the Dao, and the charm that emerged spontaneously when he was fully focused.

Those masters who were exceptionally talented and focused on one method all their lives often had such momentum, but Jia Cong was only a half-grown child, which was too unbelievable.

But thinking of that graceful and superb calligraphy, they all said that the calligraphy was like the person. Thinking about it this way, it didn't seem strange.

Jia Cong wrote quickly: "Hearing that Nanxi gathers the essence of the world, the scholars of the scholar forest think it is a beautiful scene. The sincerity of the later students looking up to it has long existed. Today, I am honored to receive the Prince's courtesy and lowering himself, and the younger generation is honored..."

Zhou Changyan saw this calligraphy, clear, moist, handsome, ancient, simple, and elegant, the same as the characters on the couplet that day, and praised in his heart.

He thought it was no wonder the Prince had doubts. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would believe that such superb calligraphy was written by a child of ten years old?

And Jia Zheng on the side was also shocked by Jia Cong's calligraphy. He was not as proficient in calligraphy and painting as Zhou Changyan, and his appreciation ability was not as refined as the other party.

But after all, he had read books for half his life, and he could tell the good from the bad. Such old, spicy, moist, and elegant fonts would be fine if they came from famous scholars.

Now they were written by a ten-year-old child. When did the Jia family produce such a talented descendant? He couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort and honor.

How did the eldest brother's side produce such an outstanding descendant? If this were his own son, that would be great.

Thinking of his own two beasts, Baoyu and Jia Huan, none of them were promising.

His most valued eldest son, Jia Zhu, had already entered school at the age of twenty, and was very much to his liking, but he died young.

If that child were still alive, he wouldn't be weaker than Jia Cong, and the second branch would also have a cultural seed. Now..., Jia Zheng felt gloomy again.

At this time, a maid came to report, saying that after Third Master Cong finished meeting the guest, the Old Master would take him to the Rongqing Hall, and the Old Mistress wanted to ask questions.

Students who click into the book, please click on the latest chapter and browse when reading the previous chapters to help this book accumulate follow-up readings. New authors and new books are struggling, so please give your support. Thank you very much!

(End of chapter)